30-day Prompt Challenge days 1-5
by KamenRiderKoori
Summary: Shoutarou and Philip are faced with a situation never before seen: Philip's body has been kidnapped in the middle of a fight, and both are at a loss of how to deal with it.
1. Chapter 1: Separation

_Right, I don't have the best track record of attempting regular updates, but I'm gonna try this for June: a 30-day challenge! In an attempt to revive my fanfic-writing skills, as well as my writing skills in general, and my creative thinking at the same time, I shall persevere. I'm not sure as of now if all 30 chapters are going to be on one storyline, or even only in one world, but the first few days are going to be about W, so look forward to that =)_

_Challenge prompts are taken from this site: (oh darn no urls) asylums dot insanejournal dot com slash 30 underscore somethings slash 615 dot html, and I'm using the one about flowers because it seemed the most interesting._

* * *

Day 1: Separation

"Oi Akiko! Is Terui not here yet?!" Shoutarou yelled as W, in LunaJoker form, narrowly dodged another slash of the Dopant's countless tentacles. Both Philip and him were quickly losing stamina just avoiding the attacks. They needed backup, fast.

A crash sounded from the warehouse distracting the rider just enough for the Dopant's slicing attack to knock them into the air and then slam them to the ground with another falling tentacle.

W got up as quickly as he could, only to see a new Dopant advancing on Philip's unconscious body, having obviously knocked Akiko out just before.

"Get away from my body!" Philip shouted and tried to extend W's right arm to reach out for his body. It was intercepted by five tentacles, all reaching round to wrap about W's extended arm. Tangled up, the two men could only watch as the other Dopant disappeared into a mist of data with Philip's body.

The tentacles holding W in place loosened and retreated, and the Dopant swung away like Spiderman. W tried to give chase, but it was too late.

"Damn," Shoutarou cursed and moved his hands to undo the transformation, but Philip stopped him.

"Wait, don't. I don't want to find out what they're doing to my body. I shouldn't try to return until we get my body back, in case they try to use the Gaia Library."

"You're right. We should try using Xtreme memory to retrieve it," Shoutarou suggested, and on cue, the bird-like memory flew into view, "Xtreme, can you try to get Philip's body?"

Xtreme memory beeped a series of noises, which Philip translated to, "It can't. The Dopant has taken my body within a region cordoned off with a signal disruptor. It will scramble Xtreme memory's, well, memories, for lack of a better term, and it will be driven out of the field."

"They've really done their research, haven't they..."

"Yeah, question is, how? No one should be able to get this sort of information from anywhere but the Gaia Library, and even in there, it's in the restricted section, which only I have access to, as its librarian."

"So we're looking at a hacker then," Shoutarou concluded.

Philip mentally nodded, and Shoutarou could feel a trickle of pride leaking through their mental connection. That's strange. No feelings have ever been transmitted before.

"Right now, I think it's best if I stay out of my body, since without my consciousness, there is little they can..." Philip's voice suddenly stopped, and Shoutarou felt his partner's consciousness leave his mind, dragged away by some force. W's henshin undid itself, leaving Shoutarou standing on the battlefield, alone with a still-unconscious Akiko, trying to come to terms with his partner's missing presence where he should have been when they had the belt on.

* * *

_Yes, a cliff-hanger. Nope, it's not beta-ed yet coz my usual beta is out of commission this evening so I'll get it beta-ed when I can._

_I hope you look forward to the updates as much as I look forward to writing the next part, tomorrow!_


	2. Chapter 2: Forsaken

_It's Day 2~ I want to say that I had almost no inspiration for it, and it's basically a lot of talking._

_Warnings: Stupid names_

* * *

Day 2: Forsaken

The first things Philip saw, when he felt his mind haphazardly returning to his own body, were two men before him, conversing.

One of them, in a long white lab coat that Philip had seen on scientific professionals in the dramas that Aki-chan had made him watch with her, was saying, "…it won't be long now, for our subject to be fully with us. His mind cannot stay away long from his body, not with this disruptor field between the two."

"No," the other man, who sat, no, draped himself over a sofa, turned his eyes to look at the teen, "he's already awake." Philip noticed he was bald but, from his face, he guessed he could not be more than 30.

The man in a lab coat, too, turned around to confirm the observation for himself.

"I presume that I've been captured, and my captors, that's you, are the two Dopants we saw and fought just moments ago. Since I'm tied up as expected, I suppose this is when I ask, 'what do you want with me?' and you'll proceed to tell me your evil plan," Philip glared at the men, trying to ignore the splitting headache that wrecked his mind every time a Henshin was forcefully undone and he was thrown back to his body. It was never nice to be expelled from Shoutarou's body as it rejected all foreign entities while attempting to recover, though this was the first time his body was the one calling his mind back.

"Ah, Raito-kun," "My name is Philip." "That's not your real name, is it?" "It is now."

The man in a lab coat (Philip needed a name, soon. He couldn't keep calling him man-in-a-lab-coat—it was too long.) smiled, "Fine, Philip-kun. There's no rush for answers. After all, we will be here for a long, long time."

"Unfortunately for you, I don't intend to stay long, as lovely as it is to be tied up to this chair, Shoutarou would be worried to death about me, and it won't take him long to find me."

"We both know that's not true. You are, after all, his source of information, his Google, his _library_. In other words, he's just a puppet—you are the real detective—and therefore of no real consequence or threat to either of us."

"Then you don't know him as well as I do."

"I've done my research."

Philip remained silent this time. This was pointless.

Taking his captive's silence as a sign of victory, the man in the lab coat (now would be a really good time for self-introductions, Philip prompted in his head) sat down on the sofa, beside his accomplice, such that the three of them were on the same level.

"Oh where are our manners? Let me introduce ourselves. My name is Professor Q, and this is R, though you might know us better as…"

"_Technology!_"

"_Jellyfish!_"

The two men seated in front of Philip stood up and simultaneously inserted their Gaia memories—the man-in-the-lab-coat's, or 'Professor Q', memory went in by the right of his neck, while 'R''s went in through the top of his head. Before his eyes, they both transformed into the Dopants Philip knew they faced before.

"_Welcome, to our Sanctuary Island._"

"So, what do you guys plan to do with me?"

"It's more like, what do _I_ plan to do with you," Technology Dopant, formerly 'Professor Q' (Philip refused to believe either of them were born with alphabets as names), said. Jellyfish Dopant stood by his accomplice, clearly a man of few words.

"You see, we are brothers, faced with one problem. Our mother is dying, and we want to save her. To do that, I have studied as much as I could about engineering, medicine, and yet I can find no cure."

"Aniki, is there a need to explain all this? If you ask me, the less he knows, the better it is for us." Jellyfish Dopant, or 'R', interjected, "Why don't you hurry up and do what you wanted to do with this boy?"

"R, it is hardly fair to the boy. He deserves to know what he's signed up for."

_I didn't sign up for this_, Philip thought, but he knew there was no way he could escape these two on his own. Not with this annoying disruptor field cutting any possible connection he could ever get with Shoutarou, even the mental one they shared through the W-driver. He'd just have to stall, and perhaps thwart these two men's plans on his own.

"Philip-kun, I still see the fire in your eyes. I'll just say this for the sake of it, but it's hopeless. This place is not just technologically removed from the world, it is also geographically removed. There's no way your Shoutarou-kun will find you."

This time, it was Philip who smirked, "Like I said, you don't know Shoutarou like I do."

* * *

_Right. I'm really not that proud of this chapter, but it answers the prompt. If anyone doesn't get how, feel free to ask my interpretation of the prompt. =)_


	3. Chapter 3: Fascination

_Right, inspiration is really not with me today. I know where this fic is going, but I'm really not sure how to fit it to the prompt, so I decided that plot takes priority._

* * *

**Day 3: Fascination**

"What do you mean you 'lost' Philip-kun?!" Akiko shouted at Shoutarou, then winced as her wounds hurt her.

Shoutarou was quiet, but in his mind he was replaying over and over again that particular moment the second dopant hoisted Philip's body up so easily, having taken out Akiko, and just disappeared.

_It's so much like how Philip disappeared the first time. Damn, I failed him again. How can I get him back this time?_

He knew the answer, though. He just wasn't sure he could go through another period of time without Philip fighting alongside him.

Terui Ryu spoke up, "Hidari, get a grip on yourself. Philip is now probably within that area blocked off by the disruptor, so he might not even have access to the Gaia Library. He's depending on you to get him out."

"I can't. I lost him twice. I don't deserve him."

"Hidari!" Ryu began, but Akiko beat him to it. Brandishing her green slipper (this one read 'GET A GRIP'), she smacked the detective on his head and said, "Hidari Shoutarou! You can have your pity party later. Right now it's important to get Philip back to safety! Last time you couldn't do anything about it, but this time you can! You still have us, and you're still Kamen Rider Joker! The opponents are but dopants, not death!"

There was a moment of silence in the agency as Ryu and Akiko waited for Shoutarou to finally find his way out of the hole of despair and do something about his missing partner. Finally, the detective sucked in a deep breath.

"You're right. I can't not try."

Both policeman and chief smiled.

"Let's get down to work then,"

* * *

Philip was feeling a sense of déjà vu—like that time he got strapped up to the Fuuto tower by Daido Katsumi.

"You know, I've always wanted to know how use the Library. All those knowledge, including that which is deemed forbidden. Don't you want to know? Well, no matter now. I'll have control over the Library very soon, via you of course. I'm just going to wire you up."

"You need to save your mother, why do you need a library to do that?"

Professor Q walked around Philip, adjusting a few wires, ignoring his question. It was almost like he didn't deem the question worthy of an answer. Then again, it was not like Philip couldn't guess what his captor wanted.

If dramas were true, the Professor would be wanting to know about immortality. It was not a far leap.

When the Professor spoke again, it was to ask, "I want to know something, Philip-kun. I know that you were a data-human before. That means you won't get sick, or age, or die. Why would you want to give that up?"

_Well it seemed that he didn't know the whole story_, Philip thought.

"Tell me."

"It's not your business."

"Oh well, I'm almost done so I'll be able to read it for myself," he smirked.

Philip didn't doubt he would, because that was essentially what the Restricted section was: books about knowledge that Man should not be in possession of, as well as the detailed lives of every single human being on Earth. It was a big section, and it was already a frightening thought that this Professor had once managed to hack into it. Even though the security of the section did not allow hackers too much information, this Technology memory had obviously gained enough in-depth information about the W system—enough to kidnap Philip anyway.

He just hoped that the Gaia library would recognize the illegal entry of the Dopant, even through him, and prevent knowledge from falling into the wrong hands.

* * *

_I hope that wasn't too bad to read _


	4. Chapter 4: Truth

_Day 4! This one is really really really long._

* * *

**Day 4: Truth**

A loud screech woke Shoutarou up from his sleep. It was Fang.

Strange. He felt weird from his dream. It was an unusual dream. The fact that Fang was the one who woke him up just made it even more peculiar.

In his dream, he was strolling through a large library. It was surrounded by an infinite whiteness. _The Gaia Library_, his mind had supplied his dreaming self like most minds do in sleep. He figured he only knew it because he had been in there once or twice.

He had walked and walked, until he came to a large metal gate, beyond which he could see grass, and a mansion. Thinking it was odd, he reached out for the gate, hoping to push it, but before his hand touched the cool metal (yet another fact he just knew) the gates had opened wide for him.

Then he woke.

Shoutarou sat up on his bed, pondering over his dream and not really seeing any of what was around him, till with another screech, Fang dropped a book into his lap.

"Philip's Placeholder?" he thought out loud, picking up the book. It was opened to a page on which there were words printed. _That's strange, it's supposed to be a blank book_, Shoutarou felt this day was getting weirder and weirder.

"Emergency Protocol 34… Status… Activated?" He continued scanning the words, slowly realizing what it meant. To summarize the page's instructions, Philip had basically written this protocol as a 'will' of sorts, in case of, well, emergency. It was so like Philip to think of every situation possible, including the current one.

"'Next-of-possession: Hidari Shoutarou'… Hold on, what?" A blinding flash forced the detective to close his eyes; when he reopened them, he was standing right where he was in the dream: before those massive (cold) metal gates.

Shoutarou laughed, "right. The next thing I know, there will be a hologram of Philip talking to me and explaining what the hell is GOING ON!"

"Yep, you're right, Shoutarou."

"Ahh!"

"Yes, this is a hologram. It's been pre-programmed for Emergency Protocol 34, so before you say anything to yourself and not get any answers, which, by the way, you won't, since this is a hologram, let me explain.

"Emergency Protocol 34 was written for a case in which I myself am unable to gain access to the Library due to whatever reason, barring death, so if you're seeing this, I'm still alive. For now.

"I wrote this protocol trusting that you would be able to find information in the Library on how to undo whatever circumstance rendering me unable to access the Library.

"Though, I'm not really sure if this will work, since the Library doesn't just accept anyone as its Librarian, temporary or not. I'm just hoping it does. Otherwise…

Well, I'll just leave you to get on with saving me. The Library is sentient so feel free to give it any orders as long as it is not destructive or detrimental," with those final words, the hologram of Philip flickered out of sight, and the Gate creaked open.

Shoutarou raised a hand to pinch his nose bridge. He was feeling a headache coming on.

* * *

"So can you do it or can you not?!" Terui Ryu shouted at the man seated in front of him.

Said man, one of the engineers working at FuutoAir, the local satellite ground station, shivered and replied, "I'll try my best."

"Huh!" Akiko exclaimed from beside Ryu, rolling her eyes in exasperation. You'd think the workers at these places would work better with and under the order of the Police.

The husband-and-wife had come to the station to try to locate possible places Philip might have been taken. Logically, it would be within Japan, and with satellite technology, they hoped that somehow they could find a void in signals—neither of them knew how satellite technology or signaling worked, but they figured these workers might be able to do what they asked for anyway.

"It's out. There are about 20 over possible locations all over Japan, and they are either islands or forests or both. We have used…"

Akiko waved the man on, "Spare us the techno-talk, just tell us where."

"Here," he pointed to a particularly empty spot on the virtual map of Japan displayed on his Heads-Up Display.

"Right. Good work. Let's go, Chief," as usual, Ryu had his no-nonsense voice on.

Once they were outside, Ryu instructed Akiko, "I'll be going there as fast as I can; you go inform Hidari of the location. There's no time to make a plan because I believe time is of essence, so tell him we'll play it by ear."

"Roger!" Akiko saluted her husband goodbye, and proceeded to phone Shoutarou.

* * *

"KORA! BAKA-SHOUTAROU! WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK UP YOUR PHONE?! WHERE ARE YOU BAKA-SHOUTAROU GET OUT HERE NOW!" Akiko stormed into the agency, shouting. When she failed to see Shoutarou in the main room, she proceeded to slam open the doors to the kitchen, then the garage, then finally, Shoutarou's bedroom.

What she didn't expect to see was Shoutarou standing on his bed, illuminated like Philip used to be when he visited the Gaia Library.

"Shoutarou?"

"Right," Shoutarou did not like the silence where he was. He was inside the mansion beyond the gates, and like the rest of the place, everywhere Shoutarou turned he could only see books, books, and more books.

"First of all, if there was a hacker to begin with, then we need to prevent entry. Uh, Library-san?" he felt stupid talking to nothing, but since Philip said it was sentient, he would try, "Library-san, I need you to uh… if you're listening, that is, I need you to disallow all entry into the Library from any source at all, including any entry that is under Philip's name or signature."

Shoutarou paused. That would only alarm the hacker. No, he needed to set a trap. With that in his mind, he renewed his instructions for the Library security system, still feeling stupid.

"Now, I believe this is how Philip did it… Begin lookup:

"First keyword: Tentacles

"Second keyword: Hacker

"Third keyword…" wait. Was that Akiko's voice he heard shouting?

* * *

Philip could barely hear anything other than the blood rushing against his ears. Could barely feel anything other than the pain ripping through his head. But he could not succumb. He must fight the connection.

"Relax, Philip-kun. Oh, what's this? R, it seems we have a visitor. Could you please go out and check for me? That's a good boy," Professor Q turned his attention back to Philip, "Just a little more. Oh stop fighting it, boy, it's pointless. There we have it. And I'm IN!"

Philip breathed heavily. He had failed to prevent the Dopant from accessing the Library through him. Now he would have to listen as the Dopant spilt his secrets, as well as those of the Earth's, out to the whole world.

"Since we have plenty of time—knowledge isn't going anywhere, after all, and we have forever—let's pick a storybook to read! Oh what is this? The book of Sonozaki Raito!"

Virtual Technology Dopant, having dragged Philip into the Library with him, waved a green-covered book, on which the name 'Sonozaki Raito' was printed on the cover in a metallic green font, before Philip's virtual eyes (his virtual body was, sadly, still restrained).

"Don't…" Philip tried to stop him with words, pleading the Library to hear his voice and prevent the Dopant from opening the book. He really did not fancy hearing the man/monster narrate his life, or worse, make it into a long movie he would have to sit through, watching and reliving it.

Some parts he wouldn't mind, but he would rather not share it with others.

"Sonozaki Raito, born February…" the Dopant began.

Soon Philip began to realize something was wrong.

"Raito had gained possession of the W-driver at the young age of 5, after he performed a magic trick with his cat in front of his Father, the late Sonozaki Ryuubei. He then proceeded to lose the driver for a good 7 years, during which he fell into a well of knowledge and thus became a data-human.

"Years later the W-driver was recovered by one Narumi Soukichi, who had accepted it as payment for one of his cases. Narumi Soukichi had handed it to his cool, capable and talented apprentice, Hidari Shoutarou, who tried it on and became the coolest rider in the history of riders with Raito."

Despite the fact that there were certain truths within that passage, as well as the following ones, Philip knew for sure this book was not anywhere close to being the absolute truth.

_Emergency Protocol 34! Shoutarou must be behind this._ Philip suddenly recalled his program. He had designed it on whim one night, after watching a certain movie involving a man in a flying titanium suit.

"Philip?!" A very familiar voice sounded in his head, well, his virtual one anyway. He had missed this voice very much, and this presence, yes it was very much comforting.

_Shoutarou! I can't talk now, so I'm going to think to you!_

_It's alright. That Dopant, he's here with you isn't he?_

_Yes. Technology Dopant. Can you get any information about it?_

_I got them while waiting for him to fall into the Library's trap._

_Anything useful?_

_Nothing much, just the fact that however compatible he wants to think that his memory is with Gaia Library data, it isn't that well-matched. If we can force his memory out of his virtual self, we've as good as won._

'_As good as'?_

_Well, we have Terui's current sparring partner to factor in. Should Terui not be able to take care of that tentacle-monster…_

_I'm sure he can. He's Terui Ryu after all, the man who doesn't answer questions, no matter how many are thrown at him._ Philip mentally grinned as though Shoutarou could feel it.

_Heh,_ Shoutarou nodded in agreement.

Just then, Philip felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he found his memory, Fang, chewing through the ropes that were restraining him.

_Ready?_

_Anytime, partner._

"Henshin!"

"_Fang!Joker!_"

The transformation noise was enough to draw the Dopant out of his reading spree.

"You, how…?!"

Ignoring him, W proceeded to strike up their pose, "Now, Count up your Crimes!"

"Tch. Don't think I'm powerless here. I am the Commander of Technology after all!"

W flicked his left wrist, and Shoutarou spoke, "Philip, mind if we just skip to the finale?"

"Be my guest. I've been in this guy's presence too long for my comfort—I want to go home," Philip confessed.

* * *

_I figured 1.7k words was really too much for me so I'll just leave it at that. Conclusion tomorrow!_


	5. Chapter 5: ResignationGoodbye

_Yep, one day late. Hopefully I can get today's rightful entry up today as well _

* * *

**Day 5: Resignation/Goodbye**

"Shoulder Fang!" W struck Fang's tail twice, then proceeded to detach the extra blade that protruded from his shoulder. He threw it out like a boomerang, the blade striking its target over and over, finally knocking the Dopant over.

Shou prompted, "Memory Break," as he pressed down on Fang's tail thrice.

W leapt into the air to descend on the Phillip's captor, yelling, "Fang Strizer!"

With an agonizing groan the Dopant fell, reverting to a human form, the memory ejecting from his body and shattering to pieces.

"Sorry, Kaa-san, Aruto..., " the man in a lab coat croaked out before the memory's effects began to fade. Just as the two were fading from the trap room the Library had designed under Shou's instruction, Shou said to his partner, "I'll be waiting at home."

* * *

Accel was having a bit of a problem, okay, a lot of problem with this Jellyfish Dopant. He thought to himself as he dodged left, right and center, _Now I know why Hidari managed to let Philip get kidnapped - the tentacles were really a pain to run from_.

On the next slash of a tentacle, attempting to knock his feet out from him, Ryu jumped. He was not going to go down that easily. In midair, the rider transformed into a bike and sped out of the warehouse they were currently engaged in. The Dopant may have more and longer arms than he cared to count or measure, but he didn't have X-ray vision. Using the time he'd bought himself, Accel produced the Trail memory and promptly changed forms. Now they were even.

Starting the countdown, Accel ran back into the warehouse where he found the place in a mess of almost motions tentacles. Dodging them with ease, he arrived at his destination and kicked the Dopant repeatedly, forming a tentative T-shaped impact area.

When the countdown was up, Accel delivered a powerful final kick that sent the Dopant flying, exploding along the way, such that what struck the wooden crates at the back of the warehouse was a human form, with a smoking memory lying beside him, destroyed.

"You didn't give me time to say it just now," , undoing his henshin, "so I'll say it now. Despair is your goal. You're under arrest."

With that, he produced a pair of handcuffs, cuffed the man to a nearby pole (that looked fixed), and went further into the building to find Philip.

* * *

The agency door clicked open. Shou looked up from his typewriter, Akiko looked up from whatever she was doing, to see Philip come through looking slightly bruised from his experience. Ryu followed him in.

"Philip-kun are you alright? You haven't eaten in two days you must be starving. I'll get your food and pop it in the microwave. Go take a shower now," Akiko fussed over Phillip while her husband gravitated towards Shou's desk.

"Sorry for thinking you're incapable..."

Shou choked on his coffee, "Excuse me?"

"...but after all I did defeat the Dopant you let slip."

"How rude. I would have gotten him if his partner didn't show up and abduct my partner," he retorted.

"Is that so?"

"You... Whatever. Philip," Shou said, rising from his chair to pick up Philip's placeholder, "I'm returning this. I quit. You're definitely a better keeper of the Library."

"Thanks for taking over when I was gone, Shou," the teen smiled at him.

"Don't mention it. And next time, you're seriously staying behind."

* * *

_Okay so that's the end of the first story, in case you can't tell. The ending's a bit rushed though, I think you can tell..._

_Anyhow, from day 6 on it'll be a new story, which I haven't decided how to proceed with, so look forward to that. =D_


End file.
